Toy helicopter



B. NAGLER TOY HELICOPTER Sept. 7, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 13, 1953 INVETOR. @fUA/O NAGLEP wag? til mum h EW-K ATTORNEY Sept. 7, 1954 NAGLER 2,688,206

TOY HELICOPTER Filed July 13, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

BRUNO NAGLER ATTOPN Sept. 7, 1954 B. NAGLER 2,688,206

TOY HELICOPTER Filed July 15, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Bruno Nugler ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOY HELICOPTER Bruno Nagler, White Plains, N. Y. Application July 13, 1953. Serial No. 367,552

5 Claims. (Cl. 46-75) This invention relates to mechanical toys, and more particularly, to mechanical toys involving parts in which energy may be stored, then released to produce vertical ascent.

Attempts have been made in the past to design mechanical toys that simulate helicopters and autogyros in flight. Examples of suchtoys are disclosed in U. S. Patents Nos. 696,990; 1,260,957; 1,914,076; 2,012,600; 2,051,151; 2,382,347; 2,439,- 143; and 2,640,296. The toys which have been known heretofore have proven unsatisfactory'as the rotating members which form the lifting means for said devices have been made of hard or relatively rigid substances which have sharp edges and consequently when spinning at high speeds are potentially dangerous to the children that might operate them. In addition, such hard or rigid rotors are apt to mar, scratch or break furniture and fixtures with which they come in contact. They are thus not well suited to indoor operation.

My present invention comprises modifications of the aforementioned patents characterized by features which improve the safety and flyability of the mechanisms therein described, and, in particular, by a rotating member made of a pliant substance, preferably polyethylene.

My invention provides a mechanical toy which simulates a helicopter in flight which. has improved flying characteristics and is completely safe, non-destructive, and unbreakable. Broadly my invention contemplates a toy helicopter having a vertical housing within which a spool is rotatably mounted and a cord wound around said spool which is adapted to rotate said spool when the cord is unwound. A rotatable blade structure or rotor is used, made of a pliant substance. I have found that polyethylene is a particularly advantageous substanceof which to make the rotor, as it has the desired amount of pliability and is easily molded. The rotor has a central hub, an outer ring concentric with said hub and a plurality of uniformly spacedblades extending radially from said hub to said outer ring. Aflixed to one end of the spool is a clutch means having driving faces adapted to engage the hub of the rotor and having cam surfaces oppositely disposed to said driving faces adapted positively to disengage the rotor from the clutch means when the spool stops unwinding. A rewinding means is incorporated into the mechanism for rewinding the cord on to the spool.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate specific embodiments of my invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view, in longitudinal section, of a device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the parts forming the central assembly of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the blade assembly of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an elevation view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an elevation view of another specific embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is anexploded view of the parts forming the central assembly of the device of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 6.

Reference is now made to the drawings in more detail. In Figs. 1-5, numeral 5 designates a vertically disposed hollow body having a horizontal extension 6 terminating in a vertical anti-torque fin 6m, and carrying a pliant blade structure resembling that of a helicopter flying machine; the blades having their tips terminating in a circular outer ring 1. The blades are substantially wider at their outer ends Where they are connected to the ring 1 than at their inner ends where they are connected to the hub and are curved downwardly in the direction of their trailing edges. Hence, when the rotor is rotated, and the velocity of rotation increases, an upward force is exerted against the lower surface of the pliant blades tending to lift their outer portions and the ring relative to the hub to a naturally more stable configuration. The body 5 carries a centrally disposed operating assembly including a driving spool 9, a driven rotor 10 having blades extending radially therefrom, a spindle or bearing pin l2 whose lower end is frictionally held within spool 9, said spindle having a head l3 to serve as an upper limiting element to limit upward motion of the rotor Ill, and a looped flexible elastic band [4 suspended at its upper end on an eye IS in which the spool 9 terminates; the elastic band [4 being detachably connected at its lower end to the body 5 by suit able means such as the pin l8. By detaching the pin l8 from the lower end of the housing and rotating it to twist the elastic band [4, the elastic band may be pretensioned to the desired extent. The rotor I0 may be advantageously made of a pliant substance such as polyethylene to improve the flying characteristics of the toy and make it safe for children to play with. Polyethylene has the added advantage of having a density less than water so that it Will float if it comes to rest in the water and not sink andbe lost. 1

A cord 2I is secured at one end to the spool 9, is wound about the spool for the desired number of turns, and then passed along the horizontal extension 6 to emerge through the rear orifice in the spherical tail 22, where it is retained by a suitable knob or clasp 23; being held taut by the initial tensioning of the elastic band I4. A bearing element 24 secured to the body 5 supports the central assembly and permits its rotation in relationthereto.

The spool 9 carries a pin 26 adapted to co-act with a slot 21 cut in the skirt portion 20 of the blade rotor I; the slot 21 having a driving face 29 and an overrunning cam surface 30.

A mannikin 3|, simulating an aviator, is strapped or suspended upon hooks 32 and 33 on the body 5. This figure 3I may be integrally cast with the body 5, if desired.

To operate, the operator unwinds the cordZI by pulling it outwardly, then releases it. Outward movement of the cord twists the looped elastic band M to store therein the energy to cause the rapid retraction (and rewinding) of the cord as soon as the operator releases it. During unwinding of the cord the spool 9 and rotor I0 rotate in unison; the rotor I0 being driven by the engagement of pin 26 against'face 29 of slot 21. Upon release of the cord, the rotor continues to rotate and since its speed of rotation then becomes greater than the speed of rotation of the spool, the cam faces 30 will override the cam surface of the pin 26 and thereby be lifted and disengaged from the spool. Also the sudden reversal of the direction of rotation of the spool 9 produces a camming action, as between pin 26 and face 30 of the slot, which accelerates the disengagement of the rotor from the spool. As the rotor is disengaged from the spool, it climbs upon spindle l2 toward the stophead I 3, and continues to spin in the same (clockwise) direction, under the momentum of the energy stored in it, enhanced by the provision of the outer ring 1 serving as a flywheel. The band l4 simultaneously causes spool 9 to re-wind the cord by rotating said spool in a counterclockwise direction, with the pin 26 now passing under the lower surface of the skirt 28, which remains lifted thereabove. Because of this spinning of the blades there is created an upwardly directed air current (due to the aero-dynamic contour and pitch of the blades) which carries the toy upward in a vertical path, in the same manner as in the operation of an actual helicopter. When the energy stored in the rotor has been dissipated, the toy glides back to the ground or other surface from which it ascended again, after the manner of an actual helicopter. If desired the pin I2 may be removed from the mechanism so the rotor I 0 will ascend. alone. separate from the remaining part of the toy which then becomes a launching mechanism rather than an integral flying part of the toy.

Referring now to Figs. 6-8, a vertical housing I00 has a spool I 0| rotatably mounted within said housing I00. The spool IOI has helical threads I02 adapted to guide the cord I03 so that it will wind on and off the spool IOI uniformly and without entangling. At one end of the spool ml is an attaching means II1 for connecting an elastic band I04 to a double hook I05 adapted to engage the recesses I06 on the bottom of the housing I00. Said double hook I05 can be rotated as a ratchet in direction a to wind up the elastic band I04 and create a tension on said band I04 against which the spool IOI will unwind and which will rewind the cord I03 after it is unwound. A clutch means I01 is positioned at the other end of said spool IOI which has two projections I 08 extending axially of the spool IOI. Each of the projections I08 has a driving face I09 and a cam surface I I0. The projections I08 are adapted to engage the hub II I of the rotor II8 to which the blades II2a, b, c, d are mounted uniformly spaced radial to said hub III. Thehub III has a cylindrical extension II3 which extends downwardly'into a cylindrical recess H9 in the clutch means I01 so that the rotor II8 will stay centered on the clutch means I01 when the clutch means I01 and the rotor II8 are being rotated. The outer tips of the blades I I2 are affixed to an outer circular ring I20 which completes the rotor I I 8.

The cord I03 passes through a guide I I4 affixed to the end of a horizontal member II5. A bead H6 is tied to the end of the cord I03 to limit the amount of cord I03 that will wind on to the spool IOI.

In operation, the operator places the rotor III! on the clutch means I01 so that the projections I08 are in engagement with the hub I I I and pulls the cord I03 which causes the cord I03 to overcome the tension of the elastic band I04 and unwind from the spool IOI thereby causing said spool I 0| and the clutch means I01 to rotate. The driving faces I 09 of the projections I08 drive the blade assembly in a rotary motion until the length of cord I03 on the spool IN is exhausted so the rotation of the spool IOI and the clutch means I01 stops. The rotor II8 continues'to rotate and overruns the cam surfaces IIO of the projections I08 which positively disengages the hub III from the clutch means I01. The spinning rotor II8 rises through the air simulating the flight of an actual helicopter raised by the rotating blades I I2 until the energy imparted to it has been dissipated and glides back down to the ground.

I claim:

1. In a mechanical toy: a vertical housing, a spool rotatably mounted concentrically within said housing; a cord wound around said spool and adapted to rotate said spool when unwound therefrom; a pliant rotor having a central hub, an outer ring concentric with said hub and a plurality of uniformly spaced pliant blades extending radially from said hub to said outer ring; clutch means on one end of said spool having driving faces adapted to engage the hub of the blade assembly and cam' surfaces oppositely disposed to said driving faces adapted positively to disengage said blade assembly from the clutch means when the unwinding ceases; means to rotate said spool to rewind said cord thereon, an elastic torsioning member connected at one end to said spool, and means so detachably connecting the other end of said torsioning member to said housing as to permit adjustably pretensioning of the elastic torsion member.

2. A mechanical toy comprising means mounting a spool for rotation, means for rotating said spool, clutch means on one end of said spool having driving faces, a rotor having a central hub provided with clutch means to be engaged by the driving faces on the spool, one of said clutch means having cam surfaces constructed and arranged positively to disengage said hub from said spool when the speed of rotation of the rotor exceeds the speed of rotation of' the spool, said rotor also including a ring spaced from said hub, and a plurality of spaced blades connected at their inner ends to said hub and at their outer ends to said ring, said blades being pliant, substantially wider at their outer ends than at their inner ends and curved downwardly in the direction of their trailing edges when rotated, so that as the velocity of rotation of the rotor increases an upward force is exerted against the pliant blades tending to lift them and said ring relative to the hub.

3. A mechanical toy as set forthin claim 2 in which the rotor is made of polyethylene.

4. A mechanical toy as set forth in claim 2 in which the means for rotating the spool includes a cord wound around the spool and adapted to rotate the spool when unwound therefrom.

5. A mechanical toy as set forth in claim 2 in which a bearing pin extends from the hub of the rotor and the spool has an opening to receive said bearing pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 696,990 Mettler Apr. 8, 1902 1,157,166 Lukstat Oct. 19, 1915 1,260,957 Benjamin Mar. 26, 1918 1,573,527 Simonek Feb. 16, 1926 1,981,050 Lee Nov. 20, 1934 2,012,600 Fischer Aug. 27, 1935 2,537,393 Bisch et al Jan. 9, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 572,858 Germany Mar. 24, 1933 671,666 Great Britain May 7, 1952 

